Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Adolescents

1873 Words4 Pages

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by a long-standing pattern of grandiosity, an overwhelming need for admiration, and usually a complete lack of empathy toward others (Psych Central 2014). Narcissists lack empathy towards other people and will even go to the extent of using others for their own personal benefit or self-improvement. The word originated from the story of Narcissus in Greek Mythology. Narcissus was renowned for his beauty and was attracted to a pool where he was able to see his reflection for the first time. He became infatuated by the image of his reflection and was unable to leave until he finally had deceased. Narcissists feel as if they are superior to other people and they have a strong sense of entitlement and will even exploit other people in order to achieve self-improvement. Many claims have been made that modern day adolescents suffer from these issues and believe that Narcissism has rapidly increased over the years. Research heavily supports that teens are not all suffering from this personality disorder, rather they are experiencing changes during a transitional stage in their lifetime which may result in some symptoms similar to that of which a narcissist experiences. Personality disorders are extremely difficult to diagnose because they are influenced by both one’s genetics and environment. Narcissism is also plagued with methodological flaws in its diagnosis as there are numerous other factors that play a role in the lives of each unique and individual teen. There is a substantial amount of research done on narcissism in adolescents which strongly supports that narcissistic personality disorder has not risen over the generations amongst teens and that narcissism may also be a ...

... middle of paper ...

...ieved on February 20, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/narcissistic-personality-disorder-symptoms/
Sosik, J. J., Chun, J. U., & Zhu, W. (2014). Hang on to your ego: The moderating role of leader narcissism on relationships between leader charisma and follower psychological empowerment and moral identity. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(1), 65-80.
Trzesniewski, K. H., & Donnellan, M. B. (2010). Rethinking “Generation Me”: A Study Of Cohort Effects From 1976-2006.Perspectives on Psychological Science,5(1), 58-75.
Trzesniewski, K. H., & Donnellan, M. B. (2014). “Young People These Days…” Evidence for Negative Perceptions of Emerging Adults. Emerging Adulthood, 2167696814522620.
Trzesniewski, K. H., Donnellan, M. B. & Robins, R.W. Do Today’s Young People Really Think They Are so Extraordinary? Psychological Science , Vol. 19, No. 2 (Feb., 2008) , pp. 181-188

Open Document